Interim Management of Nuclear Materials; Spent Nuclear Fuel Management at Savannah River Site, 9847-9850 [2018-04670]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 46 / Thursday, March 8, 2018 / Notices
Dated: March 1, 2018.
Johnny W. Collett,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2018–04692 Filed 3–7–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DC 20505; (202) 586–4600; or leave a
message at (800) 472–2756. This
Amended ROD and related NEPA
documents are available on the DOE
NEPA website at www.energy.gov/nepa.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
A. Mark-18A Targets and Action
Interim Management of Nuclear
Materials; Spent Nuclear Fuel
Management at Savannah River Site
DOE has decided to process the 65
Mark-18A targets at SRS to recover
the 244Pu and other valued isotopes in
the form of solid oxides. Processing
activities at SRS will occur at the
Savannah River National Laboratory
(SRNL) Shielded Cells Facility (SCF) in
A-Area. These oxides will be
transported to Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee for
further processing and material
recovery. Processing activities at ORNL
will take place in accordance with its
continuing research and development
(R&D) mission.
DOE manages materials containing
long-lived isotopes produced from
irradiating targets in nuclear reactors. A
target is an object, typically a closed
cylinder containing radioactive or
nonradioactive material, placed within a
nuclear reactor so that the material
within the target may be bombarded by
neutrons to produce desired isotopes.
One reactor at SRS was configured to
generate a high concentration of
neutrons in order to produce isotopes
for defense purposes, other DOE
programmatic applications, and
scientific research. Eighty-six Mark-18A
targets were irradiated in this reactor,
producing 244Pu and other isotopes
including 252Cf and heavy curium.
Twenty-one of the 86 targets were
processed at ORNL from 1971 through
1973 to recover these isotopes. The
244Pu was apportioned to scientists for
basic research and safeguards programs
while the heavy curium was processed
into targets for production of 252Cf and
other isotopes for medical and
industrial uses. The remaining 65
targets were originally stored at SRS in
the Receiving Basin for Offsite Fuels in
H-Area, but are now stored in the LBasin.
Since the 1970s the 21 irradiated and
processed Mark-18A targets have
provided the world’s supplies of 244Pu
and heavy curium, and the 65 remaining
targets represent the only practical
source of additional supply.244Pu is a
critical component of certified standards
for high-precision laboratory analyses
supporting nuclear forensics and
nuclear non-proliferation, while heavy
curium is needed as production feed for
other isotopes such as 252Cf. Current
Office of Environmental
Management, U.S. Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Amended record of decision.
AGENCY:
The Department of Energy
(DOE) is amending its record of decision
(ROD) (published in the Federal
Register on December 19, 1995) for the
Final Environmental Impact Statement:
Interim Management of Nuclear
Materials at the Savannah River Site
(IMNM EIS) (DOE/EIS–0220) and its
ROD (published in the Federal Register
on; August 7, 2000) for the Savannah
River Site Spent Nuclear Fuel
Management Environmental Impact
Statement (SRS SNF EIS) (DOE/EIS–
0279) with respect to management of 65
Mark-18A targets. The IMNM EIS
evaluated the potential environmental
consequences of alternatives for the
disposition of a large number and
variety of nuclear materials, including
65 Mark-18A targets. These targets were
irradiated in a nuclear reactor at the
Savannah River Site (SRS) to produce
valued isotopes. The SRS SNF EIS
evaluated the potential environmental
consequences from alternatives for
managing spent nuclear fuel at SRS, as
well as other irradiated materials
including the 65 Mark-18A targets. In
both the IMNM EIS and SRS SNF EIS
RODs, DOE decided to continue to store
the 65 Mark-18A targets at SRS. DOE
has now decided to process the 65
Mark-18A targets at SRS to recover
valued isotopes in the form of solid
oxides and to issue this amended ROD.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information on this Amended
ROD, or to receive related NEPA
documents, please contact: Ms. Tracy L.
Williams, NEPA Compliance Officer,
Savannah River Operations Office, U.S.
Department of Energy, P.O. Box B,
Aiken, South Carolina 29802; (803) 952–
8278; or Tracy.Williams@srs.gov. For
information on DOE’s NEPA process,
please contact: Mr. Brian Costner,
Acting Director, Office of NEPA Policy
and Compliance (GC–54), U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
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SUMMARY:
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international supplies of both 244Pu and
heavy curium are nearly depleted.
To ensure the availability of 244Pu and
other valued isotopes, DOE will retrieve
the 65 Mark-18A targets from storage in
the L-Basin and process them in the
SRNL SCF. The targets will be
transported to the SRNL SCF (in the
SRS A-Area) in a shipping cask
modified to provide enhanced shielding
against neutron radiation and to
accommodate the radiation spectrum of
the targets (e.g., shielding using lighter
elements). Each cask will contain one
Mark-18A target consistent with the
cask’s physical and safety analysis
constraints. No modifications are
needed at the L-Basin to retrieve the
targets.
At the SRNL SCF, the targets will be
taken into shielded cells where the
aluminum cladding will be chemically
removed. The target material will be
dissolved and the plutonium in the
resulting solution separated from
curium, americium, and fission
products. The plutonium solution will
be converted to oxide as will the
solution containing the curium,
americium, and fission products. Both
oxides will be transported to ORNL
using packaging that has been certified
in accordance with U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT) and U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC)
regulations.
These operations are similar to
activities performed at the SRNL SCF
from the 1960s through the 1980s to
process and recover actinides, and will
be performed consistent with this
facility’s safety analysis constraints.
Minor modifications, such as
installation of special handling tools
and temporary shielding, will be made
at the SRNL SCF to configure it to
facilitate safe receipt of the modified
shipping cask and transfer of the targets
to the shielded cells.
Additional processing and material
recovery will occur at ORNL. Processing
activities will be performed in existing
facilities as part of ORNL’s continuing
R&D mission. These ORNL mission
activities are covered under an existing
NEPA Categorical Exclusion
determination, 3059X (June 9, 2005).
B. NEPA Reviews and Decisions
In the IMNM EIS, DOE evaluated the
potential impacts of alternatives for
interim management of a variety of
nuclear materials stored at SRS. The
major categories of nuclear material
considered in the IMNM EIS were Stable
Materials, Programmatic Materials, and
Candidate Materials for Stabilization (60
FR 65315; December 19, 1995):
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• Stable Materials. Materials that
were unlikely to present a safety
concern over the next 10 years and were
stable and suitable for continued
storage. These materials included 65
Mark-18A targets containing about 1.1
kilograms of nuclear material, as well as
about 380,000 discrete items including
other types of irradiated targets, spent
nuclear fuel, R&D material, and reactor
materials such as control rods, plus
about 700,000 liters (78,000 gallons) of
depleted uranium solutions.
• Programmatic Materials. Materials
that DOE needed to meet current or
future program missions, mostly in a
liquid form. These materials included
33,100 liters (8,900 gallons) of
plutonium, americium, curium, and
neptunium solutions, and 248 discrete
solid items such as irradiated fuel
assemblies, targets, and slugs. The 65
Mark-18A targets were also evaluated in
this category.
• Candidate Materials for
Stabilization. Materials determined to
be in a physical form or storage
configuration that could present a safety
concern within the next 10 years. These
materials included a variety of
irradiated targets and nuclear fuels, and
other materials including 16,000 Mark31 targets containing 147 metric tons
(160 tons) of nuclear material (primarily
uranium-238 and plutonium239 [239Pu]) and 3,450 Mark-16 and
Mark-22 irradiated nuclear fuels. The
total included about 22,600 discrete
solid items as well as 34,000 liters
(9,000 gallons) of 239Pu solutions and
228,000 liters (60,000 gallons) of
enriched uranium solutions. The
alternatives differed depending on the
category of nuclear material. For Stable
Materials, DOE evaluated a No Action
(continued storage) Alternative. For
Programmatic Materials, including 65
Mark-18A targets, and Candidate
Materials for Stabilization, DOE
evaluated a range of action alternatives.
One of the action alternatives evaluated
was a Processing to Oxide Alternative
under which the materials would be
processed to an oxide using the
separations capabilities in F- and HCanyons.
In the IMNM EIS ROD, DOE decided
to implement the No Action Alternative
for Stable Materials, including the 65
Mark-18A targets. However, DOE
recognized the targets as Programmatic
Materials. DOE indicated that storage
would continue until ‘‘DOE makes
decisions relative to their future use or
disposition’’ (60 FR 65301; December
19, 1995), and that the Processing to
Oxide Alternative as applied to
americium and curium solutions could
be used for ‘‘targets and slugs containing
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the potential health effects of processing
alternatives would be low and well
within regulatory limits. No latent
cancer fatalities (LCFs) were expected
for members of the public and 1 LCF
was projected for workers. The potential
for accidents involving the processed
and stabilized materials would be
reduced, and some types of accidents
would no longer be possible.
The IMNM EIS also evaluated risks
from onsite transportation of nuclear
materials between SRS facilities. No
radiation exposures were projected to
members of the public from incidentfree transport of the materials and no
LCFs from radiation exposure were
projected to workers. No LCFs to onsite
or offsite populations or an offsite
maximally exposed individual (MEI)
were projected from potential
transportation accidents considering a
range of accidents from the very minor
to the very severe.
Supplement Analysis and Summary of
The IMNM EIS determined that
Impacts
implementing any of the alternatives
In accordance with the National
would result in little or no impacts on
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and
DOE’s implementing NEPA regulations, geologic resources, ecological resources,
DOE prepared the Supplement Analysis cultural resources, aesthetic and scenic
resources, noise, or land use. Emissions
of the Mark-18A Target Material
of hazardous air pollutants and releases
Recovery Program at the Savannah
of hazardous effluents would be well
River Site (Mark-18A SA, DOE/EIS–
within regulatory standards and existing
0220–SA–02 and DOE/EIS–0279–SA–
06, dated December 9, 2016) to evaluate permitting limits for the SRS facilities.
None of the alternatives would result in
whether the proposed action requires
emissions of radioactive or
supplementing the existing IMNM EIS
nonradioactive constituents resulting in
and SRS SNF EIS, or preparing a new
disproportionate impacts on minority or
EIS. The Mark-18A SA updates the
evaluations from the IMNM EIS and SRS low-income communities in the vicinity
of SRS. Management of high-level
SNF EIS to reflect the changes in SRS
facilities where the 65 Mark-18A targets liquid, transuranic (TRU), low-level
radioactive waste (LLW), mixed lowwill be managed, along with associated
onsite transportation. The Mark-18A SA level radioactive waste (MLLW), and
hazardous waste would be within the
also evaluates the potential impacts of
capacities of existing SRS waste
transporting the oxide resulting from
management facilities.
processing the 65 Mark-18A targets to
The action addressed in this amended
ORNL.
ROD will revise previously evaluated
The Mark-18A SA concluded that the
operations for the 65 Mark-18A targets
environmental consequences of the
evaluated in the IMNM EIS under the
proposed action would be very small
alternatives requiring processing
and would not constitute substantial
operations at the SRS separations
changes relative to the analyses and
facilities. It will entail processing
conclusions in the IMNM EIS and SRS
operations similar to those evaluated for
SNF EIS, and that there are not
tens of thousands of gallons of liquid
significant new circumstances or
nuclear solutions and tens of thousands
information relevant to environmental
concerns and bearing on the action or its of discrete solid items including the
Mark-18A and Mark-31 targets and the
impacts. Therefore, no further NEPA
Mark-16 and Mark-22 irradiated nuclear
analysis is required.
fuels. For example, the 1.1 kilograms of
A. IMNM EIS and SRS SNF EIS
plutonium, americium, curium, and
californium in the 65 Mark-18A targets
In the IMNM EIS, DOE determined
represents about 7 × 10 ¥4 percent
that any of the alternatives where the
materials would be processed at the
(about 1/140,000) of the mass of the
large separations facilities at SRS (i.e., F- nuclear material contained in 16,000
or H-Canyon) would have larger
Mark-31 targets evaluated in the IMNM
environmental impacts than alternatives EIS and subsequently processed in Finvolving continued interim storage, but Canyon.
americium and curium isotopes’’ (60 FR
65306; December 19, 1995), a group of
materials that includes the 65 Mark-18A
targets.
In the SRS SNF EIS, DOE evaluated
technologies and five broad categories of
alternatives (including processing in HArea at SRS) for the management of
about 68 metric tons of heavy metal
(MTHM) of aluminum-clad spent
nuclear fuel, about 20 MTHM of
stainless-steel or zirconium-clad spent
nuclear fuel, and other nuclear
materials. With respect to the 65 Mark18A targets, the SRS SNF EIS evaluated
the impacts from continued storage at
SRS, repackaging and shipping to
another DOE site, and processing in HCanyon at SRS with discharge to the
liquid waste system and verification at
DWPF. In the SRS SNF EIS ROD, DOE
decided to continue to store the 65
Mark-18A targets at SRS.
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The very small quantity of material
addressed by the proposed action
indicates that the proposed action will
have only negligible impacts and
represent a negligible change to the
potential environmental consequences
evaluated in the IMNM EIS. This
conclusion is supported by the SRS SNF
EIS which evaluated the impacts from
processing the 65 Mark-18A targets at HCanyon. DOE determined that
processing all 65 Mark-18A targets at HCanyon would result in a total radiation
dose to an offsite MEI of 0.0035
millirem. Byproducts of the action
addressed in this amended ROD will be
similar in type to the byproducts of
other nuclear material processed at SRS
(e.g., Mark-31 targets) and evaluated in
the SRS SNF EIS. In the SRS SNF EIS
ROD, DOE decided to continue to store
the 65 Mark-18A targets at the L-Basin.
The Mark-18A SA updates the
evaluations from the IMNM EIS and SRS
SNF EIS to reflect the changes in SRS
facilities where the 65 Mark-18A targets
will be managed: (1) Targets are now
stored at the L-Basin (rather than the
Receiving Basin for Offsite Fuels); (2)
processing will occur at the SRNL SCF
(rather than F- or H-Canyons); and (3)
the 65 Mark-18A targets will be
transported onsite from the L-Basin to
the SRNL SCF. In addition, the Mark18A SA evaluates the potential impacts
of transporting the oxide from
processing the 65 Mark-18A targets from
SRS to ORNL, an activity not
specifically evaluated in the IMNM EIS
or the SRS SNF EIS.
B. Modifications to Previously Evaluated
Activities
Considering the operational changes
that will be required for implementing
the Conversion to Oxide Alternative for
the Mark-18A targets (minor
modifications to the SRNL SCF cells,
temporary shielding, equipment
removal at the end of processing), DOE
re-evaluated the potential
environmental consequences that could
result, focusing on potential human
health impacts; geologic, ecological,
cultural, aesthetic, and scenic resources;
noise; land use; waste generation and
management; and cumulative impacts.
L-Basin Retrieval and Onsite
Transportation to the SRNL SCF.
Removal of the 65 Mark-18A targets
from the L-Basin will involve the same
routine operations as those for other
targets and spent nuclear fuel
assemblies. Incident-free retrieval of
targets from the L-Basin and transport to
the SRNL SCF would not be expected to
result in radiation doses and risks to
members of the public in addition to
those currently experienced. In
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addition, it is not expected that the
proposed action would introduce
additional accident risks. Potential
radiation exposures to transport workers
are expected to be within DOE
regulations and be maintained at levels
as low as reasonably achievable. Risks
to workers from potential accidents will
be comparable to or smaller than the
risks evaluated in the SRS SNF EIS for
onsite transfer of spent nuclear fuel. The
action will not introduce additional
accident risks to those evaluated in the
SRS SNF EIS.
SRNL SCF Processing. Processing
activities at SRS will occur at the SRNL
SCF in A-Area rather than at F- and/or
H-Canyons as evaluated in the IMNM
EIS and SRS SNF EIS. Whereas F- and
H-Canyons are designed to process large
quantities of materials, there are only
about 21 grams of 244Pu in the 65 Mark18A targets. The SRNL SCF is a more
appropriate facility for performing the
separations and recovery of the
comparatively small quantities of
materials involved.
Processing the targets will involve
activities similar to those previously
and currently conducted at the SRNL
SCF. Operations will be performed
within the SRNL safety and
environmental basis, and will comply
with DOE regulations, directives, and
best management practices to minimize
radiation exposures to workers and risks
from industrial accidents or hazardous
materials. Processing the 65 Mark-18A
targets at the SRNL SCF will be within
the scope of routine operations under its
R&D mission. Although operations will
vent nonradioactive volatile gases
(nitrogen oxides, nitric acid, hydrogen)
and fission products (krypton, xenon,
iodine) through SRNL’s E-wing
ventilation system and the 791–A Sand
filter stack, less than 100 liters of
volatile compounds will be vented per
target (6,500 liters total over a period of
nine years).
Releases of both nonradioactive
volatile gases and fission products will
be well below levels of potential
regulatory or procedural impact.
Releases of fission products will be
within the facility operating basis of 0.1
millirem per year (a procedural
guideline to monitor SRNL activities)
and no additional sampling or approval
from the South Carolina Department of
Health and Environmental Control will
be required. Therefore, minimal impacts
to members of the public or to
noninvolved workers are expected from
processing the 65 Mark-18A targets.
Including Mark-18A target processing,
operations at the SRNL SCF will be
conducted so radioactive and
nonradioactive emissions from all
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9849
activities will be within its existing
basis of operations and the requirements
for protection of the public under the
National Emission Standards for
Hazardous Air Pollutants.
Offsite Transportation. Oxides
recovered at the SRNL SCF will be
prepared for transport to ORNL using
packaging that has been certified in
accordance with DOT and NRC
regulations. All activities will be
compliant with Federal regulations and
DOE directives. DOE anticipates making
approximately 65 shipments using Type
A packaging (e.g., Type S300 special
form configuration) for the americium/
curium/fission product oxides and
approximately 8 shipments using Type
B packaging (e.g., Type 9975 or Type
9977) for the plutonium oxides. These
Type A and Type B packages are
approved for much larger quantities of
radioactive materials than those
projected for each shipment.
DOE evaluated the potential impacts
to transport crews and members of the
public by scaling the analysis in the SRS
SNF EIS for 1,400 shipments of spent
nuclear fuel from SRS to a geologic
repository, considering the smaller
number of expected shipments to ORNL
(nominally 65 shipments of americium/
curium/fission products and nominally
8 shipments of plutonium oxide), and
risk factors appropriate for the
populations along the evaluated
transport route to ORNL. No LCFs
(0.0015 calculated) are expected among
transport crews or the general
population (0.004 calculated) during
incident-free transport. The risk of an
LCF to the general population
considering the range of potential
accidents, from minor to severe, was
determined to be about 6 × 10¥7 (one
chance of a fatal cancer in about 1.7
million) from all transport of the oxides,
while the risk of a non-radiological
accident fatality was determined to be
0.007 (1 chance in 140 of a fatality).
Other Resource Areas. Under this
decision, only minor modifications will
occur within the existing SRNL SCF
building (modifications to the SRNL
SCF cells, temporary shielding, and
equipment removal at the end of
processing) in an industrialized portion
of SRS, and operations will entail
activities at existing facilities that are
similar to those previously and
currently conducted at SRS. Thus, there
will be no change in land use and no
impacts on soil and geology, or on
visual, ecological, or cultural resources.
There will be no discernible increase in
noise above current levels. There will be
no need for additional personnel,
resulting in minimal socioeconomic
impacts, and no change in impacts on
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infrastructure (e.g., utilities), surface
water resources, or groundwater
resources from operation of the L-Basin
and the SRNL SCF.
Wastes will be generated primarily
during operations at the SRNL SCF and
will include laboratory samples, scrap,
and contaminated equipment such as
pipettes or gloves. These wastes will
primarily consist of solid or liquid LLW,
MLLW, and TRU waste that will be
managed within the capacities of
existing SRS waste management
operations. Solid LLW will be disposed
of onsite in E-Area, while MLLW will be
shipped offsite for treatment and
disposal in accordance with the Final
Programmatic EIS for Managing
Treatment, Storage, and Disposal of
Radioactive and Hazardous Waste
(DOE/EIS–0200) and amended ROD (65
FR 10061; February 25, 2000). Liquid
waste will be discarded to the SRNL
liquid radioactive waste system, or
combined with an absorbent for
disposal as LLW or management as
MLLW. TRU waste will be stored on-site
in the SRS E-Area Solid Waste Facility
until shipped to the Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant for disposal.
Cumulative Impacts. The action
addressed in this amended ROD will
require activities at existing SRS
facilities that are the same as or
comparable to past and present
operations at these facilities. Therefore,
the action addressed in this amended
ROD is not expected to result in
increases to the ranges of cumulative
impacts evaluated in the IMNM EIS and
SRS SNF EIS.
Nitrification. This remains the
environmentally preferred alternative.
The action addressed in this amended
ROD does not involve processing
operations at large separations facilities
at SRS. The action addressed in this
amended ROD will result in increased
but small levels of short-term
environmental impacts from target
recovery, onsite transfer, and processing
to recover desired isotopes, and
transport of the recovered isotopes to
ORNL.
Amended Decision
To enable recovery of 244Pu and other
valued isotopes, DOE has decided to
process the 65 Mark-18A targets stored
in the L-Basin. The 65 Mark-18A targets
will be removed from the L-Basin and
transferred to the SRNL SCF within a
modified spent nuclear fuel cask. At the
SRNL SCF, the targets will be processed
to recover desired isotopes in two solid
streams: A plutonium oxide stream and
an oxide stream containing americium,
heavy curium, and fission products.
Minor modifications will be made
within the SRNL SCF to enable efficient
receipt and processing of the targets.
The two oxide streams will be packaged
and transported to ORNL for further
processing and material recovery.
DOE expects that processing activities
at SRNL could begin as early as fiscal
year 2020 and would continue through
fiscal year 2029 depending on how
many targets can be processed per year.
Environmentally Preferable Alternative
Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures were
identified in the IMNM EIS ROD, SRS
SNF EIS ROD, or the subsequent
supplemental and amended RODs. No
environmental impacts resulting from
operations under this amended decision
will require specific mitigation
measures. DOE will continue its current
practices and policies to use all
practicable means to avoid or minimize
environmental harm and impacts to
workers and the public when
implementing the actions described in
this amended ROD.
In the IMNM EIS and IMNM EIS
RODs, DOE determined that any of the
alternatives involving continued interim
storage would have smaller
environmental impacts than alternatives
involving processing at the large
separations facilities at SRS (e.g., F- or
H-Canyon) while the processing
operations were underway. Of the
evaluated processing alternatives, the
environmentally preferable alternative
identified in the IMNM EIS ROD for
targets containing americium and
curium was Processing and Storage for
Basis for Decision
This amended decision ensures the
availability of 244Pu, which is a critical
component of certified standards for
high-precision laboratory analyses
supporting nuclear forensics and
nuclear nonproliferation. In addition,
this amended decision ensures the
availability of heavy curium for use as
feedstock for production of highdemand isotopes such as 252Cf, which is
used in many industrial and medical
research and health care applications,
such as cancer treatment. Implementing
C. Supplement Analysis Conclusion
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The action addressed in this amended
ROD will revise the management
approach for a very small fraction of the
materials evaluated in the IMNM EIS
and SRS SNF EIS. The operational
changes at SRS that will be required for
implementing the action are expected to
have only minor environmental
consequences.
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this action also provides a disposition
pathway for all remaining Mark-18A
targets in storage at SRS.
The action addressed in this amended
ROD will involve a very small fraction
of the nuclear materials evaluated in the
IMNM EIS and SRS SNF EIS and will
entail use of an existing DOE facility
performing activities similar to those
previously conducted at SRS and within
the scope of the facility’s R&D mission.
The action addressed in this amended
ROD will not result in potential health
or environmental consequences that
will be significantly different from the
small consequences that were
determined in the IMNM EIS and SRS
SNF EIS.
Issued in Washington, DC, on February 27,
2018.
James M. Owendoff,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Environmental Management.
[FR Doc. 2018–04670 Filed 3–7–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Proposed Agency Information
Collection
U.S. Department of Energy.
Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Department of Energy
(DOE) invites public comment on a
proposed collection of information that
DOE is developing for submission to the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. Comments are
invited on: (a) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
SUMMARY:
Comments regarding this
proposed information collection must
be received on or before May 7, 2018.
If you anticipate difficulty in submitting
comments within that period, contact
the person listed in ADDRESSES as soon
as possible.
DATES:
E:\FR\FM\08MRN1.SGM
08MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 46 (Thursday, March 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9847-9850]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04670]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Interim Management of Nuclear Materials; Spent Nuclear Fuel
Management at Savannah River Site
AGENCY: Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy.
ACTION: Amended record of decision.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) is amending its record of
decision (ROD) (published in the Federal Register on December 19, 1995)
for the Final Environmental Impact Statement: Interim Management of
Nuclear Materials at the Savannah River Site (IMNM EIS) (DOE/EIS-0220)
and its ROD (published in the Federal Register on; August 7, 2000) for
the Savannah River Site Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Environmental
Impact Statement (SRS SNF EIS) (DOE/EIS-0279) with respect to
management of 65 Mark-18A targets. The IMNM EIS evaluated the potential
environmental consequences of alternatives for the disposition of a
large number and variety of nuclear materials, including 65 Mark-18A
targets. These targets were irradiated in a nuclear reactor at the
Savannah River Site (SRS) to produce valued isotopes. The SRS SNF EIS
evaluated the potential environmental consequences from alternatives
for managing spent nuclear fuel at SRS, as well as other irradiated
materials including the 65 Mark-18A targets. In both the IMNM EIS and
SRS SNF EIS RODs, DOE decided to continue to store the 65 Mark-18A
targets at SRS. DOE has now decided to process the 65 Mark-18A targets
at SRS to recover valued isotopes in the form of solid oxides and to
issue this amended ROD.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on this
Amended ROD, or to receive related NEPA documents, please contact: Ms.
Tracy L. Williams, NEPA Compliance Officer, Savannah River Operations
Office, U.S. Department of Energy, P.O. Box B, Aiken, South Carolina
29802; (803) 952-8278; or [email protected]. For information on
DOE's NEPA process, please contact: Mr. Brian Costner, Acting Director,
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (GC-54), U.S. Department of
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20505; (202) 586-
4600; or leave a message at (800) 472-2756. This Amended ROD and
related NEPA documents are available on the DOE NEPA website at
www.energy.gov/nepa.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
A. Mark-18A Targets and Action
DOE has decided to process the 65 Mark-18A targets at SRS to
recover the \244\Pu and other valued isotopes in the form of solid
oxides. Processing activities at SRS will occur at the Savannah River
National Laboratory (SRNL) Shielded Cells Facility (SCF) in A-Area.
These oxides will be transported to Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL) in Tennessee for further processing and material recovery.
Processing activities at ORNL will take place in accordance with its
continuing research and development (R&D) mission.
DOE manages materials containing long-lived isotopes produced from
irradiating targets in nuclear reactors. A target is an object,
typically a closed cylinder containing radioactive or nonradioactive
material, placed within a nuclear reactor so that the material within
the target may be bombarded by neutrons to produce desired isotopes.
One reactor at SRS was configured to generate a high concentration
of neutrons in order to produce isotopes for defense purposes, other
DOE programmatic applications, and scientific research. Eighty-six
Mark-18A targets were irradiated in this reactor, producing \244\Pu and
other isotopes including \252\Cf and heavy curium. Twenty-one of the 86
targets were processed at ORNL from 1971 through 1973 to recover these
isotopes. The \244\Pu was apportioned to scientists for basic research
and safeguards programs while the heavy curium was processed into
targets for production of \252\Cf and other isotopes for medical and
industrial uses. The remaining 65 targets were originally stored at SRS
in the Receiving Basin for Offsite Fuels in H-Area, but are now stored
in the L-Basin.
Since the 1970s the 21 irradiated and processed Mark-18A targets
have provided the world's supplies of \244\Pu and heavy curium, and the
65 remaining targets represent the only practical source of additional
supply.\244\Pu is a critical component of certified standards for high-
precision laboratory analyses supporting nuclear forensics and nuclear
non-proliferation, while heavy curium is needed as production feed for
other isotopes such as \252\Cf. Current international supplies of both
\244\Pu and heavy curium are nearly depleted.
To ensure the availability of \244\Pu and other valued isotopes,
DOE will retrieve the 65 Mark-18A targets from storage in the L-Basin
and process them in the SRNL SCF. The targets will be transported to
the SRNL SCF (in the SRS A-Area) in a shipping cask modified to provide
enhanced shielding against neutron radiation and to accommodate the
radiation spectrum of the targets (e.g., shielding using lighter
elements). Each cask will contain one Mark-18A target consistent with
the cask's physical and safety analysis constraints. No modifications
are needed at the L-Basin to retrieve the targets.
At the SRNL SCF, the targets will be taken into shielded cells
where the aluminum cladding will be chemically removed. The target
material will be dissolved and the plutonium in the resulting solution
separated from curium, americium, and fission products. The plutonium
solution will be converted to oxide as will the solution containing the
curium, americium, and fission products. Both oxides will be
transported to ORNL using packaging that has been certified in
accordance with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations.
These operations are similar to activities performed at the SRNL
SCF from the 1960s through the 1980s to process and recover actinides,
and will be performed consistent with this facility's safety analysis
constraints. Minor modifications, such as installation of special
handling tools and temporary shielding, will be made at the SRNL SCF to
configure it to facilitate safe receipt of the modified shipping cask
and transfer of the targets to the shielded cells.
Additional processing and material recovery will occur at ORNL.
Processing activities will be performed in existing facilities as part
of ORNL's continuing R&D mission. These ORNL mission activities are
covered under an existing NEPA Categorical Exclusion determination,
3059X (June 9, 2005).
B. NEPA Reviews and Decisions
In the IMNM EIS, DOE evaluated the potential impacts of
alternatives for interim management of a variety of nuclear materials
stored at SRS. The major categories of nuclear material considered in
the IMNM EIS were Stable Materials, Programmatic Materials, and
Candidate Materials for Stabilization (60 FR 65315; December 19, 1995):
[[Page 9848]]
Stable Materials. Materials that were unlikely to present
a safety concern over the next 10 years and were stable and suitable
for continued storage. These materials included 65 Mark-18A targets
containing about 1.1 kilograms of nuclear material, as well as about
380,000 discrete items including other types of irradiated targets,
spent nuclear fuel, R&D material, and reactor materials such as control
rods, plus about 700,000 liters (78,000 gallons) of depleted uranium
solutions.
Programmatic Materials. Materials that DOE needed to meet
current or future program missions, mostly in a liquid form. These
materials included 33,100 liters (8,900 gallons) of plutonium,
americium, curium, and neptunium solutions, and 248 discrete solid
items such as irradiated fuel assemblies, targets, and slugs. The 65
Mark-18A targets were also evaluated in this category.
Candidate Materials for Stabilization. Materials
determined to be in a physical form or storage configuration that could
present a safety concern within the next 10 years. These materials
included a variety of irradiated targets and nuclear fuels, and other
materials including 16,000 Mark-31 targets containing 147 metric tons
(160 tons) of nuclear material (primarily uranium-238 and plutonium-239
[\239\Pu]) and 3,450 Mark-16 and Mark-22 irradiated nuclear fuels. The
total included about 22,600 discrete solid items as well as 34,000
liters (9,000 gallons) of \239\Pu solutions and 228,000 liters (60,000
gallons) of enriched uranium solutions. The alternatives differed
depending on the category of nuclear material. For Stable Materials,
DOE evaluated a No Action (continued storage) Alternative. For
Programmatic Materials, including 65 Mark-18A targets, and Candidate
Materials for Stabilization, DOE evaluated a range of action
alternatives. One of the action alternatives evaluated was a Processing
to Oxide Alternative under which the materials would be processed to an
oxide using the separations capabilities in F- and H-Canyons.
In the IMNM EIS ROD, DOE decided to implement the No Action
Alternative for Stable Materials, including the 65 Mark-18A targets.
However, DOE recognized the targets as Programmatic Materials. DOE
indicated that storage would continue until ``DOE makes decisions
relative to their future use or disposition'' (60 FR 65301; December
19, 1995), and that the Processing to Oxide Alternative as applied to
americium and curium solutions could be used for ``targets and slugs
containing americium and curium isotopes'' (60 FR 65306; December 19,
1995), a group of materials that includes the 65 Mark-18A targets.
In the SRS SNF EIS, DOE evaluated technologies and five broad
categories of alternatives (including processing in H-Area at SRS) for
the management of about 68 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) of
aluminum-clad spent nuclear fuel, about 20 MTHM of stainless-steel or
zirconium-clad spent nuclear fuel, and other nuclear materials. With
respect to the 65 Mark-18A targets, the SRS SNF EIS evaluated the
impacts from continued storage at SRS, repackaging and shipping to
another DOE site, and processing in H-Canyon at SRS with discharge to
the liquid waste system and verification at DWPF. In the SRS SNF EIS
ROD, DOE decided to continue to store the 65 Mark-18A targets at SRS.
Supplement Analysis and Summary of Impacts
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and
DOE's implementing NEPA regulations, DOE prepared the Supplement
Analysis of the Mark-18A Target Material Recovery Program at the
Savannah River Site (Mark-18A SA, DOE/EIS-0220-SA-02 and DOE/EIS-0279-
SA-06, dated December 9, 2016) to evaluate whether the proposed action
requires supplementing the existing IMNM EIS and SRS SNF EIS, or
preparing a new EIS. The Mark-18A SA updates the evaluations from the
IMNM EIS and SRS SNF EIS to reflect the changes in SRS facilities where
the 65 Mark-18A targets will be managed, along with associated onsite
transportation. The Mark-18A SA also evaluates the potential impacts of
transporting the oxide resulting from processing the 65 Mark-18A
targets to ORNL.
The Mark-18A SA concluded that the environmental consequences of
the proposed action would be very small and would not constitute
substantial changes relative to the analyses and conclusions in the
IMNM EIS and SRS SNF EIS, and that there are not significant new
circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns and
bearing on the action or its impacts. Therefore, no further NEPA
analysis is required.
A. IMNM EIS and SRS SNF EIS
In the IMNM EIS, DOE determined that any of the alternatives where
the materials would be processed at the large separations facilities at
SRS (i.e., F- or H-Canyon) would have larger environmental impacts than
alternatives involving continued interim storage, but the potential
health effects of processing alternatives would be low and well within
regulatory limits. No latent cancer fatalities (LCFs) were expected for
members of the public and 1 LCF was projected for workers. The
potential for accidents involving the processed and stabilized
materials would be reduced, and some types of accidents would no longer
be possible.
The IMNM EIS also evaluated risks from onsite transportation of
nuclear materials between SRS facilities. No radiation exposures were
projected to members of the public from incident-free transport of the
materials and no LCFs from radiation exposure were projected to
workers. No LCFs to onsite or offsite populations or an offsite
maximally exposed individual (MEI) were projected from potential
transportation accidents considering a range of accidents from the very
minor to the very severe.
The IMNM EIS determined that implementing any of the alternatives
would result in little or no impacts on geologic resources, ecological
resources, cultural resources, aesthetic and scenic resources, noise,
or land use. Emissions of hazardous air pollutants and releases of
hazardous effluents would be well within regulatory standards and
existing permitting limits for the SRS facilities. None of the
alternatives would result in emissions of radioactive or nonradioactive
constituents resulting in disproportionate impacts on minority or low-
income communities in the vicinity of SRS. Management of high-level
liquid, transuranic (TRU), low-level radioactive waste (LLW), mixed
low-level radioactive waste (MLLW), and hazardous waste would be within
the capacities of existing SRS waste management facilities.
The action addressed in this amended ROD will revise previously
evaluated operations for the 65 Mark-18A targets evaluated in the IMNM
EIS under the alternatives requiring processing operations at the SRS
separations facilities. It will entail processing operations similar to
those evaluated for tens of thousands of gallons of liquid nuclear
solutions and tens of thousands of discrete solid items including the
Mark-18A and Mark-31 targets and the Mark-16 and Mark-22 irradiated
nuclear fuels. For example, the 1.1 kilograms of plutonium, americium,
curium, and californium in the 65 Mark-18A targets represents about 7 x
10 -4 percent (about 1/140,000) of the mass of the nuclear
material contained in 16,000 Mark-31 targets evaluated in the IMNM EIS
and subsequently processed in F-Canyon.
[[Page 9849]]
The very small quantity of material addressed by the proposed
action indicates that the proposed action will have only negligible
impacts and represent a negligible change to the potential
environmental consequences evaluated in the IMNM EIS. This conclusion
is supported by the SRS SNF EIS which evaluated the impacts from
processing the 65 Mark-18A targets at H-Canyon. DOE determined that
processing all 65 Mark-18A targets at H-Canyon would result in a total
radiation dose to an offsite MEI of 0.0035 millirem. Byproducts of the
action addressed in this amended ROD will be similar in type to the
byproducts of other nuclear material processed at SRS (e.g., Mark-31
targets) and evaluated in the SRS SNF EIS. In the SRS SNF EIS ROD, DOE
decided to continue to store the 65 Mark-18A targets at the L-Basin.
The Mark-18A SA updates the evaluations from the IMNM EIS and SRS
SNF EIS to reflect the changes in SRS facilities where the 65 Mark-18A
targets will be managed: (1) Targets are now stored at the L-Basin
(rather than the Receiving Basin for Offsite Fuels); (2) processing
will occur at the SRNL SCF (rather than F- or H-Canyons); and (3) the
65 Mark-18A targets will be transported onsite from the L-Basin to the
SRNL SCF. In addition, the Mark-18A SA evaluates the potential impacts
of transporting the oxide from processing the 65 Mark-18A targets from
SRS to ORNL, an activity not specifically evaluated in the IMNM EIS or
the SRS SNF EIS.
B. Modifications to Previously Evaluated Activities
Considering the operational changes that will be required for
implementing the Conversion to Oxide Alternative for the Mark-18A
targets (minor modifications to the SRNL SCF cells, temporary
shielding, equipment removal at the end of processing), DOE re-
evaluated the potential environmental consequences that could result,
focusing on potential human health impacts; geologic, ecological,
cultural, aesthetic, and scenic resources; noise; land use; waste
generation and management; and cumulative impacts.
L-Basin Retrieval and Onsite Transportation to the SRNL SCF.
Removal of the 65 Mark-18A targets from the L-Basin will involve the
same routine operations as those for other targets and spent nuclear
fuel assemblies. Incident-free retrieval of targets from the L-Basin
and transport to the SRNL SCF would not be expected to result in
radiation doses and risks to members of the public in addition to those
currently experienced. In addition, it is not expected that the
proposed action would introduce additional accident risks. Potential
radiation exposures to transport workers are expected to be within DOE
regulations and be maintained at levels as low as reasonably
achievable. Risks to workers from potential accidents will be
comparable to or smaller than the risks evaluated in the SRS SNF EIS
for onsite transfer of spent nuclear fuel. The action will not
introduce additional accident risks to those evaluated in the SRS SNF
EIS.
SRNL SCF Processing. Processing activities at SRS will occur at the
SRNL SCF in A-Area rather than at F- and/or H-Canyons as evaluated in
the IMNM EIS and SRS SNF EIS. Whereas F- and H-Canyons are designed to
process large quantities of materials, there are only about 21 grams of
\244\Pu in the 65 Mark-18A targets. The SRNL SCF is a more appropriate
facility for performing the separations and recovery of the
comparatively small quantities of materials involved.
Processing the targets will involve activities similar to those
previously and currently conducted at the SRNL SCF. Operations will be
performed within the SRNL safety and environmental basis, and will
comply with DOE regulations, directives, and best management practices
to minimize radiation exposures to workers and risks from industrial
accidents or hazardous materials. Processing the 65 Mark-18A targets at
the SRNL SCF will be within the scope of routine operations under its
R&D mission. Although operations will vent nonradioactive volatile
gases (nitrogen oxides, nitric acid, hydrogen) and fission products
(krypton, xenon, iodine) through SRNL's E-wing ventilation system and
the 791-A Sand filter stack, less than 100 liters of volatile compounds
will be vented per target (6,500 liters total over a period of nine
years).
Releases of both nonradioactive volatile gases and fission products
will be well below levels of potential regulatory or procedural impact.
Releases of fission products will be within the facility operating
basis of 0.1 millirem per year (a procedural guideline to monitor SRNL
activities) and no additional sampling or approval from the South
Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control will be
required. Therefore, minimal impacts to members of the public or to
noninvolved workers are expected from processing the 65 Mark-18A
targets. Including Mark-18A target processing, operations at the SRNL
SCF will be conducted so radioactive and nonradioactive emissions from
all activities will be within its existing basis of operations and the
requirements for protection of the public under the National Emission
Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants.
Offsite Transportation. Oxides recovered at the SRNL SCF will be
prepared for transport to ORNL using packaging that has been certified
in accordance with DOT and NRC regulations. All activities will be
compliant with Federal regulations and DOE directives. DOE anticipates
making approximately 65 shipments using Type A packaging (e.g., Type
S300 special form configuration) for the americium/curium/fission
product oxides and approximately 8 shipments using Type B packaging
(e.g., Type 9975 or Type 9977) for the plutonium oxides. These Type A
and Type B packages are approved for much larger quantities of
radioactive materials than those projected for each shipment.
DOE evaluated the potential impacts to transport crews and members
of the public by scaling the analysis in the SRS SNF EIS for 1,400
shipments of spent nuclear fuel from SRS to a geologic repository,
considering the smaller number of expected shipments to ORNL (nominally
65 shipments of americium/curium/fission products and nominally 8
shipments of plutonium oxide), and risk factors appropriate for the
populations along the evaluated transport route to ORNL. No LCFs
(0.0015 calculated) are expected among transport crews or the general
population (0.004 calculated) during incident-free transport. The risk
of an LCF to the general population considering the range of potential
accidents, from minor to severe, was determined to be about 6 x
10-\7\ (one chance of a fatal cancer in about 1.7 million)
from all transport of the oxides, while the risk of a non-radiological
accident fatality was determined to be 0.007 (1 chance in 140 of a
fatality).
Other Resource Areas. Under this decision, only minor modifications
will occur within the existing SRNL SCF building (modifications to the
SRNL SCF cells, temporary shielding, and equipment removal at the end
of processing) in an industrialized portion of SRS, and operations will
entail activities at existing facilities that are similar to those
previously and currently conducted at SRS. Thus, there will be no
change in land use and no impacts on soil and geology, or on visual,
ecological, or cultural resources. There will be no discernible
increase in noise above current levels. There will be no need for
additional personnel, resulting in minimal socioeconomic impacts, and
no change in impacts on
[[Page 9850]]
infrastructure (e.g., utilities), surface water resources, or
groundwater resources from operation of the L-Basin and the SRNL SCF.
Wastes will be generated primarily during operations at the SRNL
SCF and will include laboratory samples, scrap, and contaminated
equipment such as pipettes or gloves. These wastes will primarily
consist of solid or liquid LLW, MLLW, and TRU waste that will be
managed within the capacities of existing SRS waste management
operations. Solid LLW will be disposed of onsite in E-Area, while MLLW
will be shipped offsite for treatment and disposal in accordance with
the Final Programmatic EIS for Managing Treatment, Storage, and
Disposal of Radioactive and Hazardous Waste (DOE/EIS-0200) and amended
ROD (65 FR 10061; February 25, 2000). Liquid waste will be discarded to
the SRNL liquid radioactive waste system, or combined with an absorbent
for disposal as LLW or management as MLLW. TRU waste will be stored on-
site in the SRS E-Area Solid Waste Facility until shipped to the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant for disposal.
Cumulative Impacts. The action addressed in this amended ROD will
require activities at existing SRS facilities that are the same as or
comparable to past and present operations at these facilities.
Therefore, the action addressed in this amended ROD is not expected to
result in increases to the ranges of cumulative impacts evaluated in
the IMNM EIS and SRS SNF EIS.
C. Supplement Analysis Conclusion
The action addressed in this amended ROD will revise the management
approach for a very small fraction of the materials evaluated in the
IMNM EIS and SRS SNF EIS. The operational changes at SRS that will be
required for implementing the action are expected to have only minor
environmental consequences.
Environmentally Preferable Alternative
In the IMNM EIS and IMNM EIS RODs, DOE determined that any of the
alternatives involving continued interim storage would have smaller
environmental impacts than alternatives involving processing at the
large separations facilities at SRS (e.g., F- or H-Canyon) while the
processing operations were underway. Of the evaluated processing
alternatives, the environmentally preferable alternative identified in
the IMNM EIS ROD for targets containing americium and curium was
Processing and Storage for Nitrification. This remains the
environmentally preferred alternative.
The action addressed in this amended ROD does not involve
processing operations at large separations facilities at SRS. The
action addressed in this amended ROD will result in increased but small
levels of short-term environmental impacts from target recovery, onsite
transfer, and processing to recover desired isotopes, and transport of
the recovered isotopes to ORNL.
Amended Decision
To enable recovery of \244\Pu and other valued isotopes, DOE has
decided to process the 65 Mark-18A targets stored in the L-Basin. The
65 Mark-18A targets will be removed from the L-Basin and transferred to
the SRNL SCF within a modified spent nuclear fuel cask. At the SRNL
SCF, the targets will be processed to recover desired isotopes in two
solid streams: A plutonium oxide stream and an oxide stream containing
americium, heavy curium, and fission products. Minor modifications will
be made within the SRNL SCF to enable efficient receipt and processing
of the targets. The two oxide streams will be packaged and transported
to ORNL for further processing and material recovery.
DOE expects that processing activities at SRNL could begin as early
as fiscal year 2020 and would continue through fiscal year 2029
depending on how many targets can be processed per year.
Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures were identified in the IMNM EIS ROD, SRS SNF
EIS ROD, or the subsequent supplemental and amended RODs. No
environmental impacts resulting from operations under this amended
decision will require specific mitigation measures. DOE will continue
its current practices and policies to use all practicable means to
avoid or minimize environmental harm and impacts to workers and the
public when implementing the actions described in this amended ROD.
Basis for Decision
This amended decision ensures the availability of \244\Pu, which is
a critical component of certified standards for high-precision
laboratory analyses supporting nuclear forensics and nuclear
nonproliferation. In addition, this amended decision ensures the
availability of heavy curium for use as feedstock for production of
high-demand isotopes such as \252\Cf, which is used in many industrial
and medical research and health care applications, such as cancer
treatment. Implementing this action also provides a disposition pathway
for all remaining Mark-18A targets in storage at SRS.
The action addressed in this amended ROD will involve a very small
fraction of the nuclear materials evaluated in the IMNM EIS and SRS SNF
EIS and will entail use of an existing DOE facility performing
activities similar to those previously conducted at SRS and within the
scope of the facility's R&D mission. The action addressed in this
amended ROD will not result in potential health or environmental
consequences that will be significantly different from the small
consequences that were determined in the IMNM EIS and SRS SNF EIS.
Issued in Washington, DC, on February 27, 2018.
James M. Owendoff,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management.
[FR Doc. 2018-04670 Filed 3-7-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P